Saturday, November 22, 2008

FWC: Canada Screens Comes to Toronto

Canada Screens an initiative that has had great success in Vancouver is now being brought to Toronto by the First Weekend Club. The Cananada Screens events aim to "share the best of Canadian Film in social and intimate environments - very similar to our Genie TalkBack event." According to First Weekend Club:

Canada Screens bridges the gap between the audience and the filmmaker, and builds a stronger sense of community within the film industry. The events share the best in Canadian Film within an intimate environment, bringing our special guests up-close and personal with film-goers, filmmakers, and creative audiences.

First Weekend Club (firstweekendclub.ca) is an organization that was created to help build audiences for Canadian film - especially the crucial first weekend. Good opening weekend attendance at films can extend their run in theaters enabling more people to see the film. One of the realities of Canadian Film is that it is greatly overshadowed by our American neighbours. The marketing budget for a Hollywood blockbuster is frequently greater than the entire budget for a Canadian film. In addition to being able to buy more advertising because American films are more heavily promoted and because they have big stars (who are also heavily promoted) Canadian media frequently gives them massive amounts of free press (while nearly ignoring Canadian film.) Another reality of Canadian film is that it is generally more thoughtful and diverse than the over-hyped Hollywood films. Membership in First Weekend Club is free.